


In Another World

by dramaticDabbler



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, M/M, Roleswap, Roleswap AU, Tags May Change, Wu Does Not Exist, eventual polyamory, no wu, polyninja - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 21:37:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14121351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dramaticDabbler/pseuds/dramaticDabbler
Summary: In another timeline, the infamous Lord Clouse is attempting to take the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu so that he may rule over Ninjago with the help of his army of skeletal Serpentine. It is up to Nya, Master of Water, Skylor, Master of Amber, Seliel, Master of Spirits, and Pixal, Master of Ice, to take him down under the guidance of Sensei Chen. As time goes on, Cole, son of a Royal Blacksmith, meets an energetic engineer from Julien Industries. As he struggles to cope with his father's difficult aspirations, he finds solace in the motormouth's kind words and helpful listening.(Will edit tags and summary as time goes on. Info about AU in first chapter.)





	1. Information

**AU Information (List May Change as Chapters are Updated)**

Nya: Replaces Kai. Master of Water.

Skylor: Replaces Jay. Master of Amber.

Seliel: Replaces Cole. Master of Spirits.

Pixal: Replaces Zane. Master of Ice.

Kai: Replaces Nya. Master of Fire: never trained to use his powers because he was kidnapped by Clouse and taken to the Underworld. Becomes the Samurai in order to protect his little sister (although she does not need his help).

Jay: Replaced by Skylor, is not swapped with anyone. Engineer at Julien Industries. Master of Lightning: was approached by Chen to become a ninja but politely declined because he enjoyed his life as an inventor.

Cole: Replaced by Seliel, is not swapped with anyone. Dance prodigy under his father, Lou, a Royal Blacksmith. He was also asked by Chen to train as an Elemental Master, but his father would not allow him to leave behind his life of song and dance.

Zane: Replaced by Pixal. No powers. Helper unit at Julien Industries.

Chen: Replaces Wu.

Clouse: Replaces Garmadon.

Garmadon: Replaces Master Chen.

Lloyd: Replaces Skylor.

Ronin: Replaces Dareth.

Dareth: Replaces Ronin.


	2. Episode 1 Part 1: A Ragtag Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plot Arc: Skulkins

It was a peaceful summer morning, just as usual. The farmers were leisurely working in their fields, birds were singing in a chorus of sweet sounds, and the breeze flowing over the grass was full of fresh scents that pleased the senses. Nya blew the steam from her tea cup before taking a sip, leaning against the wall as she looked out the window. A small smile graced her lips and she took a deep breath, simply relishing the calm atmosphere.

“Gah! Not again!”

At least, as calm as it could get until her lousy brother started working. With a small sigh, she stood up straight and made her way through the shop.

“Y’know, it’d probably go a lot better if you just _waited_ ,” she chastised as she entered the smithing room. “One of these days, you’re gonna have to learn to be patient, Kai.”

“Yes, _mom_ ,” her sibling growled as he tossed aside a clearly unusable blade. “We have that new shipment of metal, right?” Nya nodded, then watched as her older brother walked over to a side closet. He opened the door and surveyed the shelves for the materials he was looking for. The young woman shrugged and turned towards the front of the building.

She nearly leapt back when she saw a figure standing there, wearing a bright red, violet, and gold gi. His black hair contained gray streaks, especially at the temples, and his facial hair was somewhat scraggly. His piercing near-amethyst eyes scanned the storefront, then over Nya as they landed on her. Realizing that he was probably looking for something, she set down her cup, put on her best charming smile, and stepped forward.

“Hey there!” she greeted the stranger. “What can I get for you?” The man grinned wickedly and chuckled low.

“I’m not sure if you can give me any material objects,” he replied. “I am merely here to find the right spirits to join me.” Although she was confused by his odd manner of speaking in riddles, Nya still attempted to be cordial.

“Well, you’re more than welcome to look around,” the blacksmith told him with a grin.

“Tch, I thought the shop was called ‘Four Weapons’ not ‘For Browsing’,” Kai mumbled. Nya turned around and kicked his shin as she passed, gaining a sharp hiss of pain. The elder man laughed with his back turned to them.

“How often do you have to… put your brother’s fire out?” said the stranger before cackling again. “Ah, that was rhetorical, of course. It’s quite often, I can already tell.”

“Listen buddy, you gonna buy something or not?” Kai asked, stepping around the unknown person and folding his arms. To this, he simply burst into laughter again.

“Oh I knew it as soon as I saw you two!” he beamed almost maniacally. “Well, I know when I’m unwanted. I shall leave you alone until later.” As he wandered out of the shop, Nya could only wonder who this odd man was, and what his intentions could possibly be.

“It’s Chen, by the way,” he giggled. “I’ll see you around.” The siblings stared as he disappeared over the next hill, then spun towards each other with confused expressions.

“Creepy,” Kai shuddered. “I’ve never seen that guy before. Have you?” Nya shook her head, then reclaimed her beverage. She pondered over the sudden appearance of the stranger while she sipped. He wore such outlandish clothing compared to all the people who lived in the area, so perhaps he was just a rich lunatic?

Before she could think on it further, the light from the window suddenly faded. In the place of the previously azure sky, a dark, unnatural gloom covered the land. Nya narrowed her eyes at the gathering clouds and Kai resumed his rummaging through the closet. Suddenly, screams and shouts echoed from the villagers, and a massive glowing portal appeared just above the ground. From it, a sudden group of roaring vehicles sprang, each sporting a bunch of snake skeletons. However, judging by their arms and size, these were no ordinary reptiles. These were Serpentine, a long extinct race of snake-humanoids that ruled Ninjago before humans populated the land.

“Oh my god!” Nya shouted, sprinting towards the exit and grabbing a nearby sword. She had no time for armor, there were too many people she needed to help get out of harm’s way. Farmers scattered to and fro, although the monstrous machines appeared to have no intention of directly harming them. Instead, they were making a bee-line for the store. The girl ushered a few families to safety, then returned to the shop’s front area. “Kai! Kai, you need to get out of there!”

“Find that map!” a booming, deep voice suddenly rang out. As soon as the order went out, the rattling bones of at least twenty skeletal soldiers clattered as they jumped from their vehicles. Nya tensed her jaw and adjusted her grip on her weapon, swinging at a few enemies that leapt her way. However, she was quickly outnumbered, and was forced to rapidly slice her way back into the building.

“Kai!” she yelled. “Where are y-?” A blade suddenly interrupted her thoughts as a few Serpentine slithered out with her brother in their grasp, kicking and writhing with a gag covering his mouth. “Let him go!”

“Unfortunately,” said a hissing voice. “We were given orders by Pythor to bring this boy back as a victory gift. Now, you certainly wouldn’t want to be the one to upset our master. Otherwise you and your brother will suffer a fate much worse than death. Isn’t that right, Pythor?”

“Indeed,” another snake chimed in, this time from Nya’s right side. He had the same voice as the one who had given the command to search for whatever “map” he was referring to, and his bones were tinted violet. “I would take you as well, but he seems much more entertaining. Look how he squirms.”

“Apparently you weren’t listening,” Nya snarled. “Let. Him. _Go_.” The serpent tsked, then bared his fangs.

“Such a brave young woman. What a shame that your spark will be put out so soon,” he said snarkily. “Kill her!” The blacksmith prepared herself for a fight, and waited until the snakes were away from Kai to strike out with her sword. The blade cut through one skeleton’s middle, then severed another one’s head. However, soon the beasts were flooding the smithing room and she was overwhelmed. Nya gulped, and thought over whether or not these would be her final moments.

Then, a boysenberry and mauve-colored light whirled through all her adversaries, throwing their remains in random directions. She gaped when the tornado subsided, staring with bug eyes at the face of Chen. He flicked a dagger around in his fingers, that same smile plastered over his features. He looked more steady, however, more calculating than before.

“Aha! General Pythor P. Chumsworth,” the old man smirked. “How long has it been?”

“Long enough that I had almost forgotten your disgusting grin,” the serpent snobbily hissed. Pythor turned to the soldiers that were still holding Kai. “Take him. I’ll deal with this old fool.”

“Get your hands off my brother you-!”

“No worries, Nya,” Chen interrupted her, holding out an arm and blocking her path. “We’ll get him back in a minute. First, I must accept this duel.” For the moment, she had to trust him. Between Pythor and the Serpentine surrounding the shop, she did not have much of a choice but to stay with the only person who could perform whatever magical spell he had just used.

“Wait, how did you know my name?” she asked. Her question went unanswered, however, when she was suddenly shoved to the side and out of danger. The snake lunged for Chen, but the man was ready for him. Out of seemingly nowhere, he pulled a gilded staff out and whacked him over the head, laughing as Pythor stumbled. The two lashed out and blocked attacks simultaneously as they moved out into the courtyard. With an excited smile, Chen whirled into that same arcane tornado, moving quickly towards the skeleton before sweeping him up in the spinning attack. Finally, the serpent was tossed from the cyclone’s center, landing gracefully as he caught his breath.

“It appears as though your Spinjitzu has aged like milk,” Pythor rasped.

“Better to know rusty Spinjitzu than none at all, right?” the old man responded. Nya could not take it any longer and dashed out next to Chen, hacking away at a few lone soldiers as the two continued to duke it out.

“Can your Spinjitzu save _her?_ ” the Serpentine general barked. The blacksmith never saw the two knives hit the water tower, but she heard the creak and groan of the large structure toppling over. She braced herself with her arms, but was suddenly rushed out of the way by a strong force. Nya opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of the tornado before it disappeared, and watched as the tower fell.

“Are you alright?” Chen asked, standing above her. She groaned and shakily stood up, a little winded from the rough landing.

“Have you found it?” Pythor called out. In response, a few subordinates laughed and chopped off the supports to the store’s sign, causing it to fall onto the ground mere feet away. On the other side, a well-worn map was visible. “Let’s go!” The vehicles roared to life again, and every soldier climbed aboard in a rush. Nya sprinted towards her brother, who was being ushered along with the snakes. Something was shot at her, and it tangled up her feet before she fell to the ground with a grunt. She wriggled onto her side and saw that a snare of bones was locked onto her shins.

“Kai!” she screamed.

“Gentlemen! We have brought our Lord Clouse a victory!” the general shouted above the noise. The Serpentine rejoiced, then sped away back through a portal. When it collapsed, only dust from their wake remained.

“Lord Clouse,” Chen muttered, stepping closer to Nya before cutting off her bindings with a dagger. “Seems my rogue student has been busy.”

“Why didn’t you stop them?” the girl practically screeched. “Kai was _right there!_ You could’ve used your… your spinny thingy!”

“Spinjitzu,” the elder corrected. “I assume you want to save him?”

“Of course I do! Since you’re clearly not gonna do it, then I will!” Nya growled, leaping to her feet and making her way over to her sword.

“You’ll need my help,” said the stranger. “Those serpents were headed to the Underworld. You cannot go there if you’re a mortal. Besides, that was Pythor. He’s been the General of the Serpentine Forces since they first began. I wonder what Clouse did to make him submit to his will?”

“Slow down,” the blacksmith halted him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about! What do you mean by the Underworld? Isn’t that place just a legend? Besides, why do they need my brother? What did that map mean to them, is it important?” Chen began to cackle again, proud and full with his hands on his stomach.

“That map was so important that it was more valuable than everything you had in that shop!” he bellowed. “Oh, but you could not have possibly known that. Now, if you want to go get your brother, we should get going.”

“I can save him by myself,” Nya insisted, beginning to walk off in the direction that Kai had disappeared. As she turned, something whizzed past her ear and landed far off in the grass. The knife dug into the dirt and stuck up straight into the air. The girl spun back around instantly, yelling, “You could’ve _killed me!_ ”

“Which is why you need my guidance. You do not know what you are up against. What if that had been a Serpentine skeleton? They would not have missed. You are an easy target to the more elite members of their ranks. These were mere foot soldiers. What you are bound to face in the Underworld will not be easily defeated. Come, let’s walk and talk.” She hated to admit it, but she really was hopeless in her current state. This man knew what he was talking about, and somehow was able to use that Spinjitzu thing. If she could learn that, she could easily get her sibling back.

“Alright,” she sighed, begrudgingly following this practical stranger. Even if she did owe him her life, she was still wary of his intentions. “Care to explain what all that was about?” Chen nodded, and led her down a path that went out of the village.

“Long before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, by using the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu. The Katana of Spirits, the Crossbow of Amber, the Halberd of Ice and the Spear of Water. If anyone were to attempt to wield these weapons at once, they would suffer dire consequences. When he passed away, he gave the weapons to his follower to protect. He took on his own apprentice, and they shared the duty of keeping the weapons safe. However, the younger man was consumed by darkness and sought to control the weapons’ power. The master was forced to banish his student to the Underworld, and he hid the weapons in secret locations. He also placed four guardians to keep watch over the weapons. Just in case he was turned evil as well, he produced a map for an honest man to hide. That was your father, Nya. That banished student is Clouse, and I must find those weapons before he gets his hands on them.”

“So that means you’re the master?” Nya asked. “You came here for the nap, right?”

“Actually, I came here for you and your brother. However, your brother has already been captured. Without the ability to return to Ninjago on his own, he has enlisted the Serpentine to do his bidding. If Clouse gains the Weapons of Spinjitzu, there will be no stopping him. Therefore you must be trained to use your powers, as mighty as the ocean, to become a Spinjitzu Master,” Chen explained. “It will be a long journey, but a necessary one in order to reclaim your brother.” She wanted to argue that she was already strong enough, but he spoke in such a compelling manner that she simply continued to walk alongside him.

They walked for what seemed like an hour, then reached the base of a mountain. The old man began to scale the cliff face with little effort, prompting his new student to swiftly follow.

The climb was been long and rigorous, although Chen appeared largely unaffected by the lengthy journey upwards. Nya refuses to let her weakness show, however, and reached the top with a satisfied grin. The old man gestured to the building that rested on the mountaintop, leaving her confused.

“Wait, this is a monastery,” she noted. “Isn’t this a place of peace?”

“Yes. Luckily, you’re not here to fight, you’re here to _train_ ,” said Chen. “And I think you’ll find that you will be learning to expect the unexpected.” He used his staff on a nearby statue, pushing it backwards to reveal a large red button. He pressed it, and a collection of training equipment suddenly rose from the stone courtyard.

“You’ll also find that I _love_ buttons, and the little tricks I can pull with them,” the old man chuckled. “Here, I want you to punch this bag.” Nya took in the scene with shock, hardly registering the statement of her new instructor. With slow steps, she made her way over to the training object and pulled back her arm. Chen gave her a nod, and she hit the surface. The elder sighed and stepped around to her side.

“You are holding back,” he told her.

“No I’m not,” Nya replied with a slight huff.

“Think of what your brother means to you. Think of everything that the Serpentine are taking from you,” Chen instructed. Nya envisioned everything she had lost now that Kai was gone. He was the only family she had left. “Now you must use that emotion to protect those you care about. Hit it.” Nya swung her fist back and slammed it into the punching bag, repeating the motion three times before winding back to kick it.

“Hold on!” the elder stopped her. “You are channeling anger. You need only to find your balance to seek justice. Anger is too much of the darkness. To counter anger, you must be calculating, think before you act. You’ll exercise this virtue by running the training course.”

“Okay,” Nya nodded, now full of energy. “Where do I start?”

“Eager, eh?” The old man pointed over to the right side of the training area. “Work on that one piece for an hour straight.”

“An _hour?_ ” gawked the girl.

“You will continue to train for one hour at each segment of the course. When you are finished, come inside for some tea,” Chen went on with a cunning smile. “I’ll be monitoring you, so don’t think about slacking off.”

“Um, aren’t we in a bit of a hurry? They have the map, don’t they?”

“These exercises will take as long as they need to. No more, no less. Your element shall be unlocked in due time.”

“But-” she cut herself off when she saw Chen’s expectant expression. “Yes sir.” Nya bowed with her new acquaintance before making her way over to the course’s start. It was only a few wooden poles, and she assumed that this was a balance practice. She jumped up onto the first one, then hopped a little clumsily over to the second. The blacksmith startled when it began to slowly sink, and waited until the platform stopped lowering. However, a moment later, she was flung into the air. Nya fell back down unceremoniously, flopping on her back with a yelp. A hint of frustration lit up in the back of her mind, but her embarrassment outweighed that factor. The elder had told her that he would be watching her as she trained, so he must have witnessed her blunder. With newfound resolve to continue, she stood up and dusted herself off, ready to try again. After all, she had an hour of this ahead of her.

* * *

It was dark out, and her muscles were screaming for her to stop moving around so much, but the final stretch was so close. She had mastered every single part of the training course, and was only waiting for Chen to relieve her of the exercises. Thankfully, the front doors of the monastery opened, and the man was holding a tea tray. He gestured inside, and Nya gratefully stopped fighting the circle of unending dummies in front of her. She took a moment to kneel over, breathing heavily while sweat dripped from her forehead.

“So, what do you think?” Chen inquired with a smug tone. “You look defeated. Ready to give up?” The blacksmith certainly wanted to quit after all the rigorous training she had just gone through. However, she shook her head, knowing that she could not throw in the towel just yet.

“If you can get me to Kai, then I’ll train all day every day,” she replied, straightening her posture. The old man smiled wide, and waited for Nya to walk through the entrance.

“You’ve done well. Your resilience is as strong as I hoped it would be,” he said happily. The sensei set down the tray on a table and poured her a small cup. “This tea will relieve you of your pains, for the time being. However, do not be sour if you wake up with soreness. For now, get some rest. Your room is down that hall, second door on the left. I have some pajamas already set out for you.”

“Oh? Thanks. You didn’t have to let me stay here,” Nya grinned. Chen giggled and waved her away, sipping from his own cup. She drank the warm beverage as she made her way through the monastery. Everything was quiet, save for the sounds of a few crickets and cicadas singing in the night. Upon entering her room, she saw two bunk beds. On one of them, a set of gray cotton nightwear was waiting for her. She quickly changed out of her dampened clothing and slipped on the pants and shirt. They fit her comfortably, and were surprisingly soft. Across the hall, there was a bathroom, and when she entered she saw four toothbrushes. Three of them looked fairly used, but one of them was brand new. She figured she would use that one, and began to brush her teeth in preparation for bed.

She started the faucet and rinsed her mouth out. Giving a relaxed sigh, she looked back up at her reflection. Her short hair was matted and tangled, compared to its usual neatness. However, she knew that all this trouble would be worth it if she could get her brother back. She smiled at herself. Already, she knew that she had made a good decision.

That is, until three figures suddenly landed behind her. The noirette spun around, staring down three pairs of eyes that leered at her between the folds of a mask. In their hands, they held various weapons that glinted in the light. Their gis were pitch black, which must have allowed them to sneak around undetected. Nya realized that these were ninjas, and she was in _big_ trouble.

“Crap!” she hissed as she dodged their quick hands. She slid between them and sprinted out the bathroom door, quickly running through the building until she burst through the front doors. In the courtyard, she looked around for something to help her. Remembering that the training equipment was dormant underneath the stones, she leapt over to the dragon statue and pressed the button. The three ninjas had almost reached her, but were thrown upwards with the course as it rose from the ground. In the scramble to regain their balance, they lost their weapons.

Nya realized that she should have picked one of the armaments up, for only a second passed before she was attacked again. This time, she had to punch and kick as well as dart out of the way of her enemies’ blows. Eventually, she lost sight of one of them, and was flattened from behind before the other two jumped on top of her as well. She attempted to wriggle free, but the weight of her attackers was too much to fight off.

“Stop! Get off of her!” Chen’s voice suddenly rang out. The pressure was instantly released, and the blacksmith jumped to a standing position.

“Yes, Sensei,” her foes said in unison, bowing to him.

“Wha-? I thought I was your only student!” Nya shouted.

“Wait a minute. _She’s_ gonna be training with us?” a melodious voice asked. “We thought she was an intruder.”

“Yeah, uh… I thought you said there would only be three of us,” another voice cut in, a little deeper. Nya could tell they were women.

“Apologies, Sensei Chen. We did not know that we were not supposed to engage in combat with her,” a third girl said. Her tone was a little flat, but she sounded sweet. The old man stepped forwards, carrying his staff.

“Introductions are in order. However, there is something I must do first,” he told the group. “Ninja go!” As the familiar tornado spun through the group, they were all given a set of gear. Each of them sported a different color. One orange, one indigo, one white, and Nya sported gray. Chen gestured with his staff towards the noirette.

“This is your new teammate, Nya. Master of Water,” he began, then pointing to the tangerine-clad fighter. “This is Skylor, Master of Amber.” She took off her hood, revealing a scarlet ponytail, green eyes, and toffee skin. She gave the blacksmith a shy, apologetic smile.

“Beside her is Seliel, the Master of Spirits,” Chen continued. The next girl tore her mask off with a sly grin. Her shimmering azure eyes matched the streak in her raspberry hair. Her skin tone was rather smoky.

“Nice to meetcha, Nya,” she beamed, holding out her hand for her to shake. Her grip was firm, and she made eye contact as they exchanged greetings.

“And this is Pixal, Master of Ice,” the man smiled. “She can see with more than five senses. Isn’t that something?”

“Hello,” said the last ninja as she took off her hood as well. Her skin was very fair, and she had near-lime irises that accentuated her heather-gray dyed hair which was pulled back into a ponytail with two large beads. “It is wonderful to meet you.”

“Uh… same here,” Nya mumbled. They were acting as if they had not just tackled her to the ground, and she was unsure how to respond to that. “So, are we gonna learn Spinjitzu together?”

“You won’t be learning Spinjitzu. You will _improve_ your Spinjitzu. You already have it. You must simply harness it.” Chen’s words caused a ripple of disarray to run through the new team. “But enough of that! We have some Golden Weapons to recover! Come, we must move quickly.”

“Let’s go!” Nya grinned, happy to get started.

* * *

 

“Well, _this_ is certainly not what I was expecting,” Skylor grumbled. Chen was dozing peacefully atop a horse carriage, which the four girls supported on their shoulders.

“So, does he usually just fall asleep like that?” Nya asked, adjusting the position of her pole.

“Tch, Chen could fall asleep anywhere,” Seliel smirked, rolling her eyes.

“Well, it is quite possible that this is merely a bonding exercise. He could be listening closely to see if we are getting along with Nya or not. He is prone to tricking us into believing his facades,” said Pixal. “He feigned illness for three days before revealing that he was merely faking it in order to test how we would react to a sick team member on the battlefield. Seliel was so frightened-”

“‘Ey, there’s _nothing_ in this world that I’m afraid of,” the master of spirits snapped.

“Nonsense, you have admitted that you fear tight spaces,” the ice ninja pointed out.

“ _Pixal_ ,” Seliel warned with a hushed voice. The white-clad girl’s eyes went wide as if she realized something a little too late.

“Apologies, I should not have said that without your permission,” Pixal said, turning her gaze towards her friend. The indigo fighter let out a puff of breath and gave her teammate a sympathetic look.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” she sighed. Hoping to break the pseudo tension, Nya thought of a conversation starter.

“So, how’d you guys become ninja?” she asked. Skylor grinned and looked up at the tree branches above. She appeared to be recalling a memory.

“I was just testing out my skills in the kitchen one day- I worked at a restaurant -and he was just standing right there behind me. I freaked out, and I’ll never forget that he said, ‘You know, instead of doing trick shots with ingredients and juggling knives in this galley, you oughta learn how to _really_ throw a knife.’ I thought he was insane, but hey! Here I am,” she relayed fondly.

“I was actually doing work as a stunt double. Chen found me and asked if I was okay with performing such dangerous stuff. I told him it didn’t bother me one bit, then he offered to let me stay and train here,” Seliel piped up.

“And I was researching various creatures out in the Blackwood Forest. I was tracking a lynx, then suddenly Chen appeared sitting on a nearby rock drinking tea and petting the feline. I was shocked to say the least. He complimented my stealth, and now I have joined him as his student,” Pixal added. The former blacksmith’s brows raised. She was thankful that this guy had been just as spontaneous and weird with the other members of the team during their first meetings.

“Huh. Do you think there’ll be more of us-”

“Hush!” Chen suddenly whispered, sitting straight up in his seat and nearly knocking the entire carriage off balance. “Stop. We’re here.”


End file.
